In early childhood children should be assessed based on the interplay of domains. They should be assessed cognitively, socially, gross and fine motor skills because these are the areas that we concentrate on when we teach them. Each of these areas should be tested. Each overlap as children develop.
Average scores on intelligence tests are rising substantially and consistently, all over the world. These gains have been going on for the better part of a century. These increases are called the Flynn Effect. The rate of gain on standard broad-spectrum IQ tests amount to three IQ points per decade and it is even higher on certain specialized measures. (Neisser, 1997). Many factors have influenced these gains in IQ tests such as child-rearing practices. Parents everywhere are now interested in their children’s cognitive development and are probably doing more to encourage it than they did in the past. Children are spending hours watching shows such as Sesame Street and other educational programs. Better health and nutrition is a factor over the years, there has been a marked improvement in worldwide nutrition. This means better nourished brains would allow individuals to perform better. Increase of education, longer formal schooling years and an increase in culture-free IQ tests. Visual and technical environment has increased. Video games and computers each successive generation has been exposed to far richer optical displays than the one before.
Reference:
Neisser, Ulric (September-October 1997). Rising Scores on Intelligence Tests retrieved from http://www.americanscientist.org/issues/num2/rising-scores-on-intelligence-test/1
Sandhu, Inderbir (2002-2011). Decline and Increase in IQ Scores retrieved from: http://www.brainy-child.com/exper/iq-score.shtml
I like your thoughts on how testing should be done. It made me think about how testing is only reflecting the thinking skills of a child and gross motor is not related at all in some cases.
ReplyDeleteFawn, I would have to agree with you about current testing situation. The child's cognitive abilities are the focus on most assessment, so when I look at my first grade students I would have to indicated on a separate paper, who well the student writes and their social behaviors.
ReplyDeleteFawn-I'm not sure "testing" as we know and understand it today would work for motor skill development or social development. I don't think you can standardize these skills anymore than you can standardize cognitive skills. I also think the statement about culture-free IQ tests is a bit deceptive. Could you explain more about how they are proving that? I don't know how anything could be culture free-isn't everything influenced in some way by someones culture? Which brings me back to children should be assessed through observations within the environment that they are most comfortable and familiar.
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